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Senators News: July 22nd

–Nichols shells out some cash to glance behind ESPN’s paywall to see how Grant Sonier assesses the Sens prospects:

The Sens had a breakthrough season in 2011-12, and now expectations are high for more of the same success. To that end, their prospect pool is going to be a key down the road. Cody Ceci (Ottawa-OHL), the Sens’ first-rounder from 2012, could play sooner rather than later on the blue line. However, after Jared Cowen got the call to the big club and David Rundblad was dealt away — leading to the Sens’ drop down these rankings — most of Ottawa’s prospect strength derives from the forward position. Mika Zibanejad (SWE) had a bit of a rough season after failing to crack the Sens’ roster last fall, but he’ll join top hopes Stefan Noesen (Plymouth-OHL), Matt Puempel (Kitchener-OHL) and Mark Stone (Brandon-WHL) as prospects with a legitimate chance to eventually make the Sens’ lineup. Stone actually made his debut in the first-round playoff series against the Rangers, recording an assist in his one game.

Sleeper Prospect:Max McCormick, LW, (Ohio-NCAA) (sixth round/2011) McCormick has so much character that he will look to prove everyone wrong. Underrated skills make a nice pair to go along with his coachable approach to the game.

If this is the kind of insight people pay for, save your money! It would hard to be more generic, but Sonier echoes what was said about McCormick when he was drafted. Sonier gives the organisation a B- ranking for the draft related to them not having a second round pick (which is an odd form of assessment). Nichols correctly points out the Sonier doesn’t mention many of the Sens other prospects which is either an oversight on his part or he doesn’t view them as legitimate (which, in the case of Silfverberg and Lehner at least requires an explanation).

–John Henkelman posts a belated review of Ottawa’s draft. “As typical under the Bryan Murray regime there was considerable weight placed on character when making their choices with an underlying emphasis on skill.” He offers the following analysis of the picks:Cody Ceci – The best attributes Ceci has are his ability to carry and pass the puck out of his own end, his control of the blue line from the point, and the naturally high tempo of his transition game. The size and skating ability are there as is his willingness to commit to improving. He surmises that Ceci will be returned to junior (for actual scouting reports go here)Chris Driedger – He’s quiet in his movements and has a calm demeanor which gained him attention at the CHL/NHL top prospects game (actual scouting reports are via the above link)Jarrod Maidens – When healthy he contributes with a solid two-way game along with a nice blend of skill and toughness. An excellent worker along the boards, he has good skating ability, can score effectively with his shot and can hold the puck to make a play (for actual scouting reports click the link above)Timothy Boyle – exceptional puck-moving ability, particularly along the blue line (for actual scouting reports click the link above)Robbie Baillargeon – slick playmaker and good skater with great hockey sense, his ability to create offense either through finesse or power is his top attribute (for actual scouting reports click the link above)Francois Brassard – armed with a competitive nature and good butterfly technique (for actual scouting reports click the link above)Mikael Wikstrand – plays a smart, steady game with good skating ability and decent puck skills, although his upside may be limited (for an actual scouting report here is the link again)